BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS 3 /INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION 3 (THEORY)

REVISION EXERCISE
The following case study is adapted from http://www.itweb.co.za dated 8 February 2015.

Technical and other problems plague eNatis Systems Development process

The South African government’s electronic National Traffic Information System (eNatis)
project is a good example of a failed systems development process. The National Traffic
Information System (Natis) used at 1 753 sites throughout the country was 44 years old
and had severe technological limitations due to a lack of integration between the vehicle
registration, deregistration and licencing departments. The department of motor vehicles 38
year old database had limitations as it could no longer handle the additional transactions
required when registering new motor vehicles.

The new eNatis system would allow for 40 000 transactions per hour instead of 25 000. It
would enable specialized transactions designed to limit visits by the public to traffic
departments, by allowing transactions over the Internet and via automated teller machines,
including learner licence bookings online and in real-time. Learner testing would be entirely
automated, eliminating corruption through automated marking of tests. eNatis would
ensure centralization of transactions, within the improved eNatis database, with regard to
the payment of traffic fines, registering of vehicles’ and licence renewals.

The new eNatis systems development was plagued with problems, including cost overruns
from an estimated R311 million to R396 million as a result of the new system being
implemented 11 months late. The then Minister of Transport, Mr Y Emjedi, wanted the new
system developed, designed and implemented within a year so he awarded the contract to
Tasima, who were well known in the industry for “taking shortcuts” in a six-phase systems
development lifecycle methodology, never delivering on time and always going over
budget. To make matters worse, Tasima, as the outsourced organization were not properly
managed throughout the whole process. The Tasima systems analysts took one week,
consulting users at only five of the 1 753 sites when analyzing the old system and defining
the new system requirements, without making use of James Wethebe’s PIECES
framework in the analysis.

When developing the new system Tasima decided to upgrade the outdated database, by
merely adding additional memory, which resulted in new car registrations and licence
renewals taking 20 instead of two minutes to complete. As a result of the late
implementation date, only the online learner licence subsystem was tested and the new
system was immediately implemented. The proposed centralization and integration of
transactions with regard to traffic fines and vehicle registrations never worked. As a result
of the rushed implementation, staff was only given one hour training on the new system.
Furthermore the department failed to ensure there was a helpdesk to support the staff that
experienced problems when using the new system.

REQUIRED:
Refer to the above case study as well as your own knowledge and experience to answer, with
a full motivation, the questions that follow:

1 Analyze four problems that were experienced with the systems

development project of eNatis. Link the problem to the relevant phase of
4 x1=
the six-phase systems development lifecycle (SDLC). (Students please
(4)
number each problem separately).

2 Evaluate how each of the four problems you have indicated in question 1 4 x1=
above could be resolved. Relate your solutions to the SDLC. (4)

3 Briefly discuss each of the six phases in the SDLC. 6x½=

(3
4 The Tasima organization consulted five users when analyzing the old
system and defining new systems requirements. Assess a role of the 2 x1=
user in each of these phases. Relate your answers to the facts in the (2)
case.
5 Critically assess the role of the end user in each phase of the Systems
Development Life Cycle.
(6)
6 Justify three reasons why the Department of Transport would outsource
the development of the new eNatis system. (3)

7 Describe three types of public cloud computing service that could add (3x2=6)
value to operations at the Traffic Department.

8 Paragraph three states: “Tasima, as the outsourced organization were

not properly managed throughout the whole process”. How, do you 8x½=
suggest, the outsourced organization should be managed? (4)

9.1 Besides an immediate i.e. direct implementation method used by Tasima,

discuss three other methods that could be used during the
implementation phase of the SDLC. (3)

9.2 State which method Tasima should have adopted in order to avoid the
problem of the systems not integrating. Motivate your answer. (1)

10 Discuss the difference between post-implementation evaluation and (2)

systems maintenance during the sixth phase of the SDLC?
11 Besides a traditional six-phase SDLC describe two types of Agile
development methods that could have been used given the facts in the (4+4=8)
case.

12 When it comes to acquiring IT applications, companies have to consider (4)

a number of strategies available to them. Assess the relevance of four
fundamental business decisions that the Traffic Department needed to
make before choosing a particular strategy.